


Until death do us apart

by neoncore



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, Post-Endgame, in a way at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22913044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neoncore/pseuds/neoncore
Summary: That's what Steve always sees in his nightmares.He hears himself calling Tony's name, but before he can get to him, he wakes up in the dead of night; drenched in sweat that for a split second feels like blood. In a cold bed that for a short moment seems like a desolated battlefield.In the silence that reminds him of the snap.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 46





	Until death do us apart

**Author's Note:**

> So, i've decided to ignore the existence of Civil War. it's very sunny in Denial Land, isn't it?
> 
> anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Screams. Clash of metal against metal. Explosions and distressed calls over comms.  
Then, a voice. Distant, but close. Shaky, but determined.  
A snap.  
Then, silence.  
Screams die down. Clashes of metal against metal cease. Explosions and distressed calls stop.  
Nothing. Just the echo of the words said mere seconds ago.  
The skies are an abstraction of orange swirls slathered with deep red scars from the fires. The ground is soaked with so much blood that it could drown the entire Underworld. Dust and ashes are dancing their last waltz on Earth, carried by the gentle breeze.  
"Tony!"  
*  
That's what Steve always sees in his nightmares. He hears himself calling Tony's name, but before he can get to him, he wakes up in the dead of night; drenched in sweat that for a split second feels like blood. In a cold bed that for a short moment seems like a desolated battlefield. In the silence that reminds him of the snap. He's always greeted by Friday's cheerful voice as she tells him the weather and the time, sometimes followed by his schedule for the day.  
He and Pepper had the compound rebuilt, and all the Avengers moved in. Even after a crisis like that, there are still threats; terrorists or maniacs with delusions of grandeur.  
"Captain, today you have the compound to yourself. The other Avengers are out for missions or meeting their families. The first person to arrive will be Peter, he's coming back tomorrow."  
Steve chuckled humorlessly.  
"I really see why Tony loved him so much," he said as he turned on the coffee machine. Its gentle buzz was pleasant background noise. "He saw himself in the kid. I see him in Peter too, sometimes."  
"You really miss Tony, don't you?" Friday asked. Steve glanced outside the window, taking a sip of his coffee.  
The sun was just rising. The dark of the night was fading into a pale blue, mixed with soft pink and light orange.  
Orange, like the fiery skies over the battlefield, when -  
"Captain." Friday's cheerful voice snapped him out of his thought. "You haven't answered my question."  
Steve blinked. Right. This wasn't the battlefield. There was no fire. Just the warm shade of the morning sun.  
"Yeah," Captain said. "Yeah, I miss him. I'd do anything to get him back."  
The silence around the compound was interrupted by a car passing by, followed by the ring of the doorbell. Did Peter get back early?  
"Looks like it's a delivery for you, Captain," Friday said as if reading his mind.  
Steve put his cup down on the counter with a soft clink and made his way to the hallway. He opened the door, and much to his surprise found no one in sight. Just a package, laying by the doorstep. He picked it up, looking around once more, and went back inside.   
He put the parcel on the table, not paying too much attention to it, and went back to the counter to finish his drink. The steam was still rising softly from the red and gold mug.  
After a minute, Friday spoke up again.  
"You might want to take a look at this, Captain."  
With a sigh, he took the parcel from where he left it. The sun was glistening on the golden wedding ring on his finger, sending reflexes across the spacious kitchen.  
And when he saw the name of the sender, his heart seemed to stop.  
At first, he felt rage bubbling in his gut; his blood seemed to boil inside his veins and arteries. Tears blurred his vision as his fists clenched around the edges of the cardboard. It had to be a prank, or a mistake. He wanted to scream, smash the package to the floor along with whatever's in it. But then, an ice-cold stab of pain in his chest put out the fire of his anger.  
He closed his eyes, and with a shaky breath he loosened his grip on the box and opened the package.  
It was a small, portable hard drive, with the Stark Industries logo. He threw the package back on the table, and a small piece of paper fell out of it.  
"Friday, could you scan that drive for me?"  
"Of course, Captain."  
He frowned at the note but picked it up, and had to hold back tears at the sight in front of him.  
Friday will walk you through it, written in Tony's messy scrawl. He'd recognize that handwriting anywhere.  
"Can you check the number of the number of the package and tell me who sent it?" he asked. If it was a prank, it was not in the least bit funny.  
"I already have, Captain. The records show that Tony gave the package to the post office a bit over a year ago, and asked for it to be delivered exactly today."  
Steve didn't get a chance to reply as Friday spoke up again.  
"I think I know what this is, Captain. Just go down to the control room, plug it into the first USB outlet you'll find, and I'll take care of the rest."  
Steve quickly wiped his eyes that burned with tears.  
"Are you sure it's safe?"  
"Yes, Captain. I'm absolutely positive."  
As he was going down to the lowest floor in one of the elevators, all he heard was the whir of machines, getting louder and louder the lower he went.  
Tony used to joke that he'll use Thunderstruck as his elevator music. Steve always laughed with him, but now, he was thankful for the silence.  
The elevator doors opened with a ding, and he stepped out into the room full of buttons, screens, computers, and blinking lights.  
A few LED lamps blinked to life, shedding some light on the dark room. Everything in it reminded him of Tony. The only thing missing was AC/DC blasting on full volume.  
Tears welled up in his eyes as he felt another stab of pain in his chest. This time burning in his lungs, making it harder to breathe.  
Steve quickly crossed the room and did what Friday asked of him. He went back into the elevator, pressing the button for his floor. The whir of machines faded away, and he let his mind wander.  
*  
It was a rather gloomy night. The deep blue sea of silver stars was veiled with thick, dark clouds. Thunder was roaring somewhere in the distance, and the soft patter of raindrops on glass was mixing with the noises coming from a large TV playing in the background. Steve wasn't paying attention to it, anyway.  
Instead, he was absent-mindedly staring out the window into the dead of night as impatience and anxiety were starting to get the better of him.  
"Friday, do you know when will he come back?" Steve asked.  
"Anytime now, Captain. You're asking me this question every 15 minutes, you can relax."  
Just as he was about to go back to bed, he heard the door open. He ran to Tony and wrapped his arms around him tightly. He smelled like rain and grease, and an expensive cologne he always used.  
Tony buried his face in Steve's neck. After a minute, he pulled back and looked at Steve with that smirk of his.  
"Miss me, Captain Rogers?"  
*  
The elevator's doors slid open. Steve walked out of it, strolling through the empty hallways. And before he realized, he was in his bedroom, which looked exactly like the one he shared with Tony.  
His eyes fell on their wedding picture when he heard Friday speak up again.  
"It was a pleasure working for you, Captain. Please give my best regards to the rest of the team. Perhaps we'll hear each other soon."  
Somehow, her voice sounded distant, almost full of regret, but still cheerful as usual.  
"Friday, what do you mean? What's going on?"  
"Miss me, Captain Rogers?"  
Oh, God. Before Steve got a chance to think he heard himself saying,  
"Why do you sound like Tony?"   
"Come on, Cap, I made my first AI when I was twelve. Do you honestly think I wouldn't be able to make myself into an AI? And here I was, thinking you considered me a genius."  
He didn't sound like an AI. His voice wasn't even slightly mechanized; he sounded like he always did.  
At that point Steve couldn't hold back his tears anymore. His legs refused to keep holding him up as he broke down in tears.  
So that's what Tony was working on in the lab, coming to their room either late at night or early in the morning. Whenever Steve asked him about it, he smiled sadly and said, "I'll show you when it's done."  
Tony knew.  
He knew that the people around him would miss him. He knew how hard it will be for them, especially for Steve and Peter.  
He always put the feelings of those closest to him before anything else.  
"God, I miss you so much," Steve whispered between sobs. He was sitting on the bed, head in his hands, as his tears dripped down to the carpet.  
"I'm here, Cap. I promised you I'll never leave your side. You won't get rid of me that easily."  
It felt good to hear Tony's voice again. To feel his presence through his technology. To listen to his sarcasm and jokes. Steve spent the rest of the day sitting on the couch, talking to him all the time. When he closed his eyes he could even see Tony, his beautiful smile and adorable dimples, and his wide gestures when he's excited.  
Then, the sun set, and the pale blue deepened into a much darker shade. The night was beautiful. The stars seemed to shine a thousand times brighter, and the silver moonlight was glistening on Steve's wedding ring.  
When Steve lied in bed, it somehow felt less cold than before. Less empty.  
"I'm glad you're here, Tony," he said, closing his eyes.  
"I'm glad I'm here too."  
Steve wasn't sure if he was dreaming already, but as he was dozing off, he swore he could hear Tony say,  
"My soul is always with you."  
And that night, for the first time since Tony's death, Steve didn't have nightmares.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'd love to hear what you think in the comments <3


End file.
